Tokoroa-born musician Al van der Beek to perform at Trump's inauguration

Al van der Beek was born in Tokoroa, and tomorrow, he'll be playing with his band as Donald Trump is inaugurated as the new President of the United States.

Van der Beek's American classical-pop crossover group The Piano Guys is one of the lesser-known groups performing at the inauguration.

He told Newstalk ZB's Rachel Smalley he's not sure how they came to be asked.

"We just feel really honoured for the opportunity, and to represent America and to play for Americans."

He said the group expected backlash from their fans - and that's what they got.

"We're not politicians, we're musicians and entertainers and our hope this week is that we perform for America, just to spread that hope and joy through our music.

"Hopefully we can bring people together," he added.

Van der Beek was born in Tokoroa, but his family moved to Utah when he was 6.